Third Report Of The Advisory Panel On Alzheimer S Disease 1991

Provides an update of biomedical and health services research activities. Examines the delivery and financing of care and services to patients from the perspective of the value systems that guide patients and their families, professional care providers, and policymakers in their decision making.

Caregiving has emerged as a critical issue in the second half of the life cycle. With the growth of the older population, there have been dramatic increases in the number of people needing care and assistance. The responsibility for care typically falls on families at a time when they have limited resources to meet these needs. At a societal level, the need for care for growing numbers of disabled elders poses a major challenge for how to organize supportive services in an efficient and responsive system. Bringing together multiple perspectives on caregiving, the authors' explore informal and formal family caregiving and the pivotal issue of how these systems interface and interact. An overview of this variation is provided by examining family caregiving from three perspectives: * the effects of culture on helping patterns and family responsibility, * how different disabilities affect patterns of family care, and * longitudinal perspectives on the impact that caregiving has on family members.

Covers: what is Alzheimer's; the diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease; the search for the cause of Alzheimer's Disease; the treatment of Alzheimer's Disease; and hope for the future through research. Glossary, references, and sources of help. Illustrated. Also includes a 28-page guide, "Early Identification of Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias."

Overview and policy implications. Nursing home residents with dementia: characteristics and problems. Special care units for people with dementia: findings from descriptive and from evaluative studies. Regulations and guidelines for special care units. Regulations and interpretations of regulations that interfere with the design and operation of special care units